Faeries.... the word itself conjures images of little people with lovely iridescent wings. (Although not all faeries are beautiful.) No matter how you spell the word, faerie, faery, fairy, fairie, fairye, phaery, pharie, fairfolk, the seelie court, the unseelie court, to me they all mean the same thing. The little folk. The people under the hills.

The word faery itself came from the Latin word ‘fatum’, which means enchantment and/or destiny. This word fatum then turned into fee (with the little accent above the ee's), which is French and then in turn turned into fay, which is English. Again, no matter how you call them, I adore the faery people, the good as well as the bad, and my abode is dedicated to them.

I have rowan, oak, and ash branches tied in a bundle above my door to welcome them. I have paintings, art, and statues all over my home and even a few books on my bookshelf. I have clothing with the faery people on them, and my altar is in the faery theme.

My complaint is, that there isn't much more information about these beings of nature, especially in regards to wicca/witchcraft. In Wicca, the religion itself is nature based and these beings in myth and legend help make nature prosper and grow. So, someone please tell me why is there not more information on these entities?

I've only seen a small handful of books on the Fae, such as Good Faeries, Bad Faeries by Brian Froud, Faeries by Brian Froud, and Healing with the Faeries by Doreen Virtue. There are also so many children's books out there in the world dealing with these creatures. But of course these books themselves aren't specifically related to magic or The Craft.

Books that base faeries on the Craft and magick itself are even fewer in numbers:

The Witch’s Guide to Faery Folk by Edain McCoy, The Ancient Art of Faery Magick by D.J. Conway, Faery Wicca book I and II by Karisma Sp, (These books are currently out of print but you can find them at Barns and Noble from second hand book shops or e-bay.) Enchantment to the Faery Realm by Ted Andrews. Faery Spells by Nomad, and Faery Magick by Sirona Knight. If some of you readers know of any more books that relate to magick and The Craft, please e-mail me and let me know. I always have to purchase a book based on the little people. I'm simply a devotee.

Silver Ravenwolf mentions them in a few of her books and even has a very cute quarter call dedicated to them. I've also noticed that she has a few spells in her books and that she took the time and care to mention them. But she doesn't have a book based on them solely. Why is that? I'm not just speaking about Silver Ravenwolf (forgive me Silver, for I mean no disrespect); I'm talking about all authors out there who write about The Craft.

Why aren't there more books out there? They are just as popular as Angels and the Gods themselves. And of course there are hundreds of books out there on Them. Every witch whom I have met in my decade of training has believed in the Faery in one aspect or another.

Some fellow witches whom I've spoken to believe that the Faery are fallen angels. Some believe that they are lost souls trapped between the land of the living and the dead. Some believe they are simply nature spirits here to help divine nature. It is also said that the Twatha De Dannon were once Gods who choose to make Their place in the in-between because of what we humans did to them. Whatever belief system you believe in, faeries exist.

They are in legends and myths in every corner of the globe. From the Americas to China and Japan, you find some people who believe in them. You will see throughout history that they are depicted in paintings and written into new stories of that time.

There are a few faery items that I notice have become very popular in the last few years: Faery doors and faery art. On e-Bay, I've seen so many cute faery doors painted with signs such as ‘No Trolls Please. Knock Please, Faeries Welcome. Do Not Disturb. No Junk Mail and Quiet Please, Faery Sleeping’, just to name a few.

The art that I've seen, which is very popular, is of course from Brian Froud, Amy Brown, Nene Thomas, and Jessica Galbrieth. Some of these artists even have their own calendars that you can purchase. Just a suggestion: If you do love Faery art, please, please check out the website of a good friend of mine: www.janestarrweils.com Her website has an array of art from faeries themselves to women with certain symbols of magick painted in them.

There are also statues from all sizes, blankets, clothing, costumes, jewelry, and even birdbaths and bird feeders in the theme of faery out there in the world wide web. There are many web sites as well dedicated to the faery folk, but it still surprises me that there isn't much out there in books. As much as I do love the Internet, I'm still old fashioned and would prefer books to the web.

Back to the magick part of dealing with the fae. They are excellent energy raisers if you show them proper respect. You do have elementals and of course the faerie who, as I said previously, would love to join in a romp.

There are all sorts of faeries designated to a specific area of magick, such as leprechauns who help with spells that deal with wealth and the coin, the Jinn who are called upon to make wishes come true, Brownies who love to lend a hand with the upkeep of the home, and Moerae who deals with the matter of the heart.

These are just a very small few and which if you are interested in finding out more please refer to Edain McCoy: A Witch's Guide to Faerie Folk. I personally think that if we want the faerie folk to merge more with us humans and gain their trust, then they should be concluded in our magicks.

Another suggestion, especially if you practice solo (haven’t tried it in a large group) is to try to picture a faery kneeling down on the palm of your hand with her head resting on her knee. Then slowly watch her lift her head to look at you and as she proceeds to stand, stretch her folded wings. As you watch, imagine her wings doubling in size until they are folded softly around you in a cocoon. She can be any color or colors you choose her to be. This is my protection circle and it's simply amazing. Just try it!

Periodically I like to leave an offering for them of milk, bread, and honey whenever I can and remember to do so. From time to time, I see them in my house playing with my three cats and quite frequently outside tending to mother nature.

And even though it is mild up here in upstate New York, I love to see the winter fae play. It's quite a sight to see as they dance between the snowflakes. I also know that faeries, the good as well as the bad, love playing tricks on us humans if we aren't careful and that they all adore riddles.

If I were naive enough to believe that the faeries are secretive, I'd have to laugh and say “Gimme a break!” I see and hear the fae constantly and more so in my dreams and I know they show themselves to others as well. Perhaps at one point in time, when the wars we committed upon them were still fresh in their minds, they did decide to hide. I don't believe that they are in hiding any more.

We are a new age and a new generation ever seeking the old ways. I believe that the faery are trying to work with mortals once again. I also say we have been waiting for too long for them to emerge out of the shadows and back into the light.

But of course the question remains, since so many witches and pagans believe in these beings, why isn't there more information out there to us seekers?

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